Dispensing apparatus



L. W. LUELLEN.

DISPENSING APPARATUS. APPLICATION FILED MAR-24,1911.

- afloz I a M I 1 Patented Apr. 13, 1920.

UN I TED STATES PATENT ()BFHJE.

LAWRENCE w. LUELLEN, or NEW YORK, N. assIeNon. BYTVIESNE assIeNMnN'rs, no INDIVIDUAL DRINKING our COMPANY, INC; A CORPORATION or New roan.

DISPENSING APPARATUS.

negates.

Application filed March 24 To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that l, LAWRENCE ll. LUEL- LEN, a citizen of the United States, residing device of this character for containing and dispensing fragile articles. An instance of such is the sanitary drinking cup, which at the present time is made from paper coated with a substance rendering the cup waterproof and self-sustaining, and, to a degree, brittle.

The present invention is designed to provide storage for a quantity of fragile cups, exposing the cups one at a time in position for removal and at the same time protecting the stored cups, and also the interiorand rim of the exposed cup, from dust and con taminating contacts of all kinds, and so holding these stored cups that the partiallyexposed cup may be readily removed without injury thereto.

in the drawings accompanying and forming a part of this specification,

Figure 1 illustrates, partly in elevation and partly in section, a practicable emb0diment of a form of my invention.

Fig. 2 is a horizontal section taken on a plane indicated by the line 2-2 in Fig. 1, looking upwardly.

Fig. 3 is an enlarged elevation, partly in section, of a different form of the same invention; and

Fig. 4 is a top plan view of the dispensing apparatus illustrated in Fig. 3.

In Figs. land 2, a support indicated by the numeral 5 is illustrated as a convenient means for supporting the device. This affords a base which may rest upon some horizontal surface, as for instance a table or shelf, and presents a vertical surface 6, to which suitably formed faces of the device may be attached. A reservoir 7 is provided for the receptacles, which reservoir may be made of a glass cylinder having a suitable cover-8 for closing the top of the reservoir. The bottom of the reservoir is shown supported by a rim -9, which carries an inwardly-directed ange 10. This ring't) has a securing member 11, whereby it is secured Specification of Letters E'atent.

Patenier Serial No. 616,714.

to the standard 5. Between the flange 10 and the lower edge of the. reservoir cylind r 7, there is interposed an elastic gasket 12, which affords a sealing member between the edge of the reservoir cylinder and the flange.

There is shown in the reservoir a pile of nested cups 13. The lowermost cup oi the pile is shown in engagement with the gasket. Each of the cups is shown with an outwardly-directed fiange at the rim or top ll, which flange in the lowermost top is shown resting upon the elastic gasket. T he opening in the fiange 10 is shown of a sufficient diameter to permit the flange or the cup .freely to pass through but the opening in the gasket is shown of a smaller diameter than the flange of the cup and also of a smaller diameter than the opening in the flange 10. This afi'ords an elastically-yieldable support for the bottom cup of the pile, and which support will yield upon the lowermost cup of the pile being pulled downwardly. The gasket will resume its normal position immediately after the passage through it of the flange of the cup and assume a position where it will engage the. next cup in the pile. The elasticity or yieldability of the gasket may be determined not only by the inherent characteristics of the material of which it is made, the relative thickness, etc., but also by the relative diameters of the openings in the gasket and in the flange 10. By increasing the diameter of the flange 10 relatively to the diameter of the gasket, more yieldability will be present in the gasket. And conversely, by decreasing the diameter of the flange 10 rela-' tively to the diameter of the gasket opening, the yieldability of the gasket may be constricted. r

In some instances it may be desirable to increase the flexibility as it were, of the elastic supporting device for the cups, in which instance the cups may be supported by a series of elastic yieldable fingers. In Figs. 3 and el such a device is illustrated. wherein the reservoir 20'is shown supported by a ring 21, provided with an inwardlydirected flange 22, the ring being supported by an attaching device 23, which is slidable upon a standard 24:, and may be secured in desired position of adjustment by means of a set-screw The lower end of the cylinder 20 has interposed between it and the flange 22, an elastic gasket 26, provided with a series of fingers 27 and a series of fingers 28. The series of fingers 27 project inwardly farther than do the fingers 28. This is for the purpose of givingan increased gripping action upon the cups 29, which cups are shown provided with conical surfaces andunfiang'ed, as in the showing. in Fig. 1. By this means, as, the cup sumes its normal position in the holder and as it is drawn out, it will be gripped at two zones, one zone being gripped by the fingers 27 and the other zone the fingers 28. Further advantages of this construction may be readily seen from the reference to Fig. 3 of the drawing from which it will be noted the shorter fingers 28 first pass the edge of the downwardly drawn cup. These fingers 28 then engage the next succeeding cup while the fingers 27 are still in engagement with the lowest cup. Upon further passage of the lowest cup downwardly,- the fingers-28 retain the next succeeding cup with which they have just come into engagement and prevent its following the first cup. When the lowest cup finally is withdrawn from the fingers 27 such fingers also ing. cup is engaged at any point by the an nular ring or "washer. This might permit one or more additional cups following the first cup and being accidentally withdrawn from the device. However, applicants construction above described insures withdrawal of only one cup at a time from'the device under all conditions.

It will be seenfrom a reference to Fig. 4 that the gasket 26, together with the fingers 27 and 28, may be readily stamped in one operation from a sheet of elastically yielding material. The fingers normally lie in the same plane as the body of the annular ring of the gasket 26 when in unfiexed condition.

Although in the present illustration of mechanism waterproof paper cups are referred to, yet it will be apparent that other articles may be dispensed in this device and that various changes may be made in the mechanism without departing from the spirit of my invention. It will also be understood that either flanged or unflanged cups may be used with either form of apparatus illustrated and described.

What I claim is: I 1. In a cup-dispensing apparatus, the

combination with a receptacle for a stack of cups, the receptacle being provided with a discharge opening, of a cup-support located at such opening and comprising a ring of elastically-yieldable sheet'material carrying two series of inwardly-directed fingers, one series projecting farther inwardly than the other, the fingers of one series alternating with those of the other series about such opening. V7

2. In a cup dispensing apparatus, the

combination with a receptacle. for a stack support comprising two series of elastically yleldable members for engaging the first.

cup of a'series ofcups about two spacedapart zones.

4L. A cup-dispensing, device including in combination a plurality of inwardly reaching fingers for engaging and supporting the projecting farther inwardly cups, said fingers having their-cup-engaging portions situated in a'plurality of planes paralleLwith their plane of origin, the fin- 'gers havingtheir cup-engaging portions in one plane varying in pressure from those having. their cup-engaging portions in I another plane.

I 5. A cup-dispensing device including in combination a plurality of inwardly reaching fingers for engaging and supporting the cups, said fingers having their cup-engaging portions situated in a plurality of planes parallel with their plane of origin, those fingers having their cup-engaging portions in one plane being staggered circumferentially relatively to those fingers having their cup-engaging portions in another plane.

In a2 cup dispensing apparatus, the combination of a receptacle for a stack of nested cups, the receptacle being provided with adischarge opening, of a cup support located at such opening, and comprising an annular ring of elastically yielding sheet material carrying two series of inwardly directed integral fingers, one series projecting inwardly farther than the other and both series of fingers normally lying in the plane of the annular ring when in unflexed condition. 4

In witness whereof, I have hereunto set my hand in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

LAWRENCE W. LUELLEN. Witnesses: a

CHAs. LYON RUSSELL, WM. C. DUNN. 

